Sevilla FC, FC Bengaluru United to renew ties

Add as a preferred source on Google

Bengaluru, June 8: With the aim to promote football as catalyst for business relations between Indian and Spain, a Sevilla FC delegation will be visiting India for the first time since announcing the partnership with FC Bengaluru United in 2021.

As per a media release received, the executives of the club, which plies its trade in the top-flight of Spanish football, includes club President Jose Castro and General Director Jose Maria Cruz de Andres and Business General Director Jorge Paradela Guiterrez.

The Sevilla delegation will be in Bengaluru for five days, during which they will meet with top football and sports administrators and business partners to discuss the La Liga club's plans in India.

Their visit to Bengaluru will also include tours of iconic historical and cultural spots around the city.

Sevilla FC has been heavily focused on the Indian market since several years, starting with their involvement with La Liga India's projects like the La Liga Football Schools, and most recently collaboration with the Indian club, FC Bengaluru United.

The Indian and Spanish sides signed a five-year agreement in 2021 to explore joint synergies.

FC Bengaluru United, owned by Gaurav Manchanda, will work with Sevilla FC to explore grassroots and development opportunities in India, while the latter will provide the technical expertise as a club with a strong history.

During the visit, FC Bengaluru United will also unveil their women's team, a step forward which has also been based on Sevilla FC's experience.

In the past year since signing the partnership deal, both the clubs work has been recognized at the international stage, with them winning 'Best Internationalization Strategy' at the prestigious World Football Summit Awards 2021.

They also recently jointly launched the 'Football Hackathon - Data Driven Players Performance Assessment' which is a unique opportunity to showcase effective usage of data science in professional football scouting and player performance analysis.

The online hackathon will be launched during the La Liga side's visit to Bengaluru this week.

For the connection with La Liga India's work, Sevilla FC will be participating in a special 'Extra Time' event on June 10, which is a recently initiated property wherein La Liga showcases the work being done in India in collaboration with its partners.

The event will also see participation from FC Bengaluru United, the Indo Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of Spain.

Speakers at the conclave titled "Football as catalyst for business relations between India and Spain" include La Liga India Managing Director Jose Antonio Cachaza, Surabi Sharma (Business Owner and Honorary Consul of Spain in Bengaluru), Gaurav Manchanda, Jose Maria Cruz and Jorge Paradela.